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XXXVI: Is the O’Neill — MacCarthy letter of 1317 a forgery?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2016

Extract

In June 1926 Herbert Wood, deputy-keeper of the public records of Ireland, read a paper to the Royal Irish Academy under the title ‘Letter from Domnall O’Neill to Fineen MacCarthy, 1317’, based on a manuscript (Add. MS 34727, ff 268–9) in the British Museum. The paper was published shortly afterwards as an interesting — perhaps unique — example of a personal communication from one Gaelic lord to another in the era of the Bruce wars. Wood, who obviously had some doubts concerning it, debated in his final paragraphs the case for and against the possibility of forgery before accepting the letter as genuine. But despite the singularity of the letter and the circumstances of its provenance through one person — Thomas O’Sullivan of Middle Temple, London — it has been unquestioningly accepted by historians both general and specialist.

Since 1926 several contemporary and near-contemporary sources of early MacCarthy history have been published, providing evidence which was not readily accessible in Wood’s time. In the light of sources such as these, the authenticity of the letter deserves to be reassessed, and the purpose of this article is to show that the whole document could well have been a fabrication concocted by O’Sullivan.

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Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1982

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References

1 R.I.A. Proc. xxxvii, sect. C, no. 7 (1926), pp 141–8.

2 See, for example, Curtis, Med. Ire. (2nd ed., 1938),p.236; Otway-Ruthven, Med. Ire., p. 236; Watt, J. A., The church and the two nations in medieval Ireland (Cambridge, 1970), p. 187 CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Lydon, J. F., The lordship of Ireland in the middle ages (Dublin, 1972), p. 153 Google Scholar; Frame, Robin, ‘The Bruces in Ireland, 1315-18’ in I.H.S.. xix, no. 73 (Mar. 1974), pp 1112, 24–5Google Scholar; Cosgrove, Art, ‘Hiberniores ipsis Hibernis’ in Cosgrove, Art and McCartney, Donal (ed.), Studies in Irish history presented to R. Dudley Edwards (Dublin, 1979), p. 9.Google Scholar

3 In particular, An Leabhar Muimhneach, ed. Donnchadha, Tadhg Ó (I.M.C, Dublin, 1940)Google Scholar; Carthaigh, Mac’s Book (Miscellaneous Irish annals (A.D. 1114-1437). ed. hlnnse, Séamus Ó (Dublin, 1947))Google Scholar; and The Annals of Inisfallen (MS Rawlinson, B503). ed. MacAirt, Séan (Dublin, 1951).Google Scholar

4 Ann. Inisf., 1315, 1316.

5 Ibid., 1320 (1325), and editor’s note on same.

6 Ibid., 1317, 1318.

7 Ibid., 1261; Mac Carthaigh’s Book, 1262.

8 Ann. Inisf., 1258.

9 Hand, Geoffrey, ‘Two hitherto unpublished membranes of Irish petitions’ in R.I.A. proc. lxxi, sect. C, no. 1 (1971), pp 1213.Google Scholar

10 See Ann Inisf., 1450, where the descent of Fingen’s great-grandson (slain in that year) is recited for several generations.

11 Leabhar Muimhneach, pp 210, 430.

12 Murchadha, Diarmuid Ó, ‘The battle of Callann, A.D. 1261’ in Cork Hisr. Soc. jn, lxvi (1961), pp 105-16.Google Scholar

13 Ann. Inisf., 1302.

14 Quoted by Wood (‘Letter from Domnal O’Neill’, p. 145) from Cal. patent rolls, Ireland, 11 Edw. 11.

15 N.L.I., MS 761, p. 210.

16 A.U.

17 Ann. Inisf.

18 $$G. O. Sayles (ed.), ‘The legal proceedings against the first earl of Desmond’ in Anal. Hib., no. 23 (1966), p. 19.

19 MacCarthy, Daniel, The life andletters ofFlorence MacCarthy Mor (London, 1867).Google Scholar

20 MacCarthy, S. T., The MacCarthys of Munster (Dundalk, 1922), p. 80.Google Scholar

21 See letters in Colm Ó Lochlainn, Tobar Florghlan Gaedhilge (Baile Átha Cliath, 1939).

22 I wish to thank Dr Art Cosgrove for drawing my attention to the question of Pope John’s nationality.

23 Wood, ‘Letter from Domnal O’Neill’, p. 144; Curtis, Med. Ire. (2nd ed.), p. 3.

24 Wood, ‘Letter from Domnal O’Neill’, p. 148; Frame, ‘The Bruces in Ireland’, p. 13.

25 O’Curry, MS materials of ancient Irish history, p. 20.

26 Orpen, Normans, iv, 168, 196.

27 Baxter, J. H. and Johnson, Charles, Medieval Latin word-list from British and Irish sources (London, 1934).Google Scholar

28 B.M. cat. Ir. MSS, ii, 624.

29 D.N.B.

30 Information kindly supplied by Miss Ella McNeill, librarian. Middle Temple.

31 Robin Flower, ‘Manuscripts of Irish interest in the British Museum’ in Anal. Hib., no. 2 (1931), p. 303. (This assessment of O’Sullivan was not in print when Wood wrote.)

32 B.M. cat. Ir. MSS, ii, 624.